MALIBU, Calif. — Behind yet another double-double from sophomore Brandin Podziemski – his seventh of the season – Santa Clara men's basketball picked up a big road victory on Thursday, defeating Pepperdine, 89-79, to improve to 2-1 in WCC play and 14-4 overall.
Podziemski finished with a game-high 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds while also dishing out six assists in the winning effort as one of three Broncos to score in double figures. Parker Braun knocked down 7 of 9 attempts for 16 points while Carlos Stewart came away with 14 points. Jaden Bediako was himself just short of a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
Santa Clara opened the contest with a 15-4 run to grab control early and led by 10 midway through the period on a Podziemski triple that made it a 24-14 affair. Pepperdine (7-9, 0-2 WCC) was prepared to make a comeback bid fueled by its homecourt advantage, chipping the deficit all the way down to one at 34-33 inside the final three minutes of the first half. After some back-and-forth scoring exchanges, it was once again a Podziemski trey inside the final minute that sent the Broncos to the locker room with a five-point lead at 42-37. The sophomore sharpshooter finished the half with 12 points.
Podz providing some breathing room before the break#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/znUHz3qUbe
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 6, 2023
The scoring spree continued at the start of the second half with a quick 10-2 run leading to another big advantage for the Broncos to the tune of 16 points. Santa Clara maintained the lead for the remainder of the night despite the Waves chipping their way back to within five inside the final four minutes. SCU responded by scoring eight unanswered to put the game out of reach and finished with a double-digit victory.
The Broncos shot 47.9% from the floor and easily won the boards with a 46-32 advantage in rebounds. Pepperdine shot nearly identical with a 47.6% clip (30-63).
The Waves' Maxwell Lewis, who checked into the contest as the WCC's second-leading scorer, once again had a big game with 20 points.
Santa Clara next returns home on Saturday to host No. 9/10 Gonzaga at 7 p.m.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Hear from @brandinpodziem2 and @PassarelliVoice after the Broncos' 89-79 victory over Pepperdine.
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 6, 2023
The sophomore finished with 27 pts, 10 reb and 6 ast for his 7th double-double on the season#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/jNRbvIGYLo
Assistant Coach @Scottgarson also stopped by the postgame show to share his thoughts on the double-digit victory#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/0ZcxZBHDB4
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 6, 2023
GAME NOTES
- The Broncos led wire-to-wire for the first time this season.
- The 89 points are tied for Santa Clara's highest scoring total of the season (Wyoming).
- Podziemski hit a career-high 11 field goals in the win.
- Keshawn Justice scored eight points to move up to 19th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,396 points.
- Christoph Tilly scored a career-high four points with his first multi-field goal game.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
• Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Men's Basketball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
